Improvement in gas-light extinguishers



W. H. HOVEY.

GAS LIGHT EXTINGUISHER.

Patented Apr118,1876.

N. FERS. FHOT0-LITNOGRAPHEE WASHINGTON, D C.

lvITi-n) STATES PATENT CFFIGE.

WILLIAM H. HQVEY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAS-LIGHT EXTINGUISHERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 176,312, dated April18, 1876; application filed March 23, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. HovEY, ofSpringfield, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented a new anduseful Gas-Light Extinguisher; and that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon.

The object of my invention is to extinguish a gas-light automatically byreducing the pressure of the gas in the pipe to any desired ordetermined point; and to this end my invention consists of a case orshell forming a chamber containing adiaphragm which divides said chamberinto two compartments, and a valve stem and valve connected withl saiddiaphragm, which closes the orifice through which the gas escapes fromone of the compartments of the chamber, and which is kept closed by aweight pressing against the valve or its stem. This weight is pivoted tothe shell, and when raised sufhciently causes or permits the diaphragmand valve-stem to be forced outward, and the valve to be opened to allowthe escape of gas to the burner. An adjustable spring pressing againstthe valvestem tends to force the valve in a little, but

after the valve is opened, if the pressure of the gas in the pipes andbehind the diaphragm is suh'icient to overcome the elasticity of thespring, the valve is `held open, and if the weight is raised a shoulderupon the valvestem or upon a lever interposed between the Weight andvalve-stem and connected to the latter engages with a shoulder upon theweight, and holds the latter up until the gaspressure in the pipes is soreduced as to permit the spring to press in the valve and stem,permitting the weight to fall and force in the stem and eectually closethe valve, and prevent any further escape of gas to the burner, as willbe more fully hereinafter explained.

Figure I is a central vertical transverse sec tion of my invention,showing the parts in place, and with a lever connected tothe valvestem,as a means of opening the valve. Fig. II is a front view of the shell,showing the projection upon its face, and opening therein, in which theweight is pivoted. Fig. III is a rear view of the shell and sectionthrough the passages through which the gas enters and leaves the shell.Fig. IV is a top view of the weight. Fig. V is a top view of the lever,diaphragm-valve, and its stem, with a guide attached to guide the valvein its movements. Fig. VI is a view of the valve-stem in both top andside view. Fig. VII is a rear view of the valve, its guide, a part ofthe diaphragm, and valve-stem; and Fig. VIII is a sectional view,showing the same arrangement of parts as in Fig. I, but without theinterposed lever connected with the valvestem, and the latter elongatedinstead.

In the drawings, A represents the shell made in two parts, divided inthe middle at N, and secured together by screws or bolts inserted in thelugs b, grasping the entire edge of the circular diaphragm a firmly between the two parts of the shell, thus dividing the chamber within intotwo compartments, one each side of the diaphragm. A valvestem, h, havinga collar or shoulder, e, is inserted through the center of thisdiaphragm; and in order that the movements of the diaphragm may be trueand uniform a thin metallic or hard-rubber disk, a', may be placed uponthe valve-stem each side of the diaphragm; and the valve e, which may bemade of leather, or of any other suitable material, is placed againstthe diaphragm or metallic disk a', and is secured by any suitable means,preferably by a nut, e', turned up on the threaded end of vthe valvestemh against the valve snugly.

I prefer to make the outer end of this nut with any desired number ofwings, r, thereon, which shall lit the orifice c in the back side of theshell, so as to slide freely therein, and serve as a guide to keep thevalve true in its movements to and from its seat, the spaces r betweenthese wings serving to facilitate the escape of the gas, or, rather, topermit its escape through the orice c while the guide is therein.

It is, however, immaterial as .to what the particular form of this guideis, because abar, made across the aperture, with a small hole therein,through which slides a small wire or spindle attached to the valve-stem,would answer quite as Well the purpose of a valve-guide. A threaded holeis made at B, communicating with the rear compartment behind thediaphragm, and the valve-orifice c', in the back side of the shell,communicates with a passage, B', threaded at the upper end, into whichthe pipe or burner is secured. The front side of the shell has avertical projecting part, F, which is made hollow or open at d. theopening extending entirely through the front of the shell, thisprojection forming a narrow hood closed at the top. In the upper part ofthis hood I pivot the lever H, having an upper arm or projection, n, andanother arm extending' downward and nearly lilling the open ing d, andthis lever is hooked or connected to the valve-stem at x. The weight l)is pivoted to the lower part of the hood F at t, and said weight isprovided with a shoulder, e, and the lever H behind 'the weight is alsoprovided with a corresponding shoulder, s, and the leverHextendsalittlebelow the pivot t, which secures the weight in place. Thepivot isinserted through the weight I) nea-rer one edge than the other, so thatwhen the lower end of the lever is pressed in sufiiciently to disengagethe two shoulders s and e the weight will fall, and the edge oftheweight opposite the pivot, which is rounded at the end, will press inthe lever and valve-stein to close the valve. If the lever is not usedthe end of the valve stem becomes disengaged from the shoulder u, andthe weight, falling, presses in the valve-stem to close the valve in thesame way. A spring, f, with its upper end pressing or bearing againstthe valve-stem, is secured to the shell inside, preferably by a smallscrew at g, and a little above this a screw, o, is turned into athreaded hole in the shell, so that the inner end ot' the screw mayimpinge against the spring a little above the point where it is secured,so that by turning this screwo either in or out the pressure of theupper end ofthe spring against the valve or valve-stem may be adjustedto any desired degrec.

In practice I prefer that this adjustingscrew o shall be inclosed in asmall tube, o', secured to the shell, to protect it, and the head of thescrew made prisniatic, or of other convenient shape, so that acorrespondinglyshaped key may be used to turn it.

Instead of the projecting hood F, ears might be made upon the face ofthe shell, to which to pivot the weight D and lever H, when the latteris used; but I prefer the hood F for the purpose of keeping out the snowand wet, which might otherwise get in and interfere with the perfectworking ofthe valve.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The part B is screwed upona gas-pipe, and a short pipe with the burner thereon screwed into thehole B', and the adjustingscrew o turned in or out to adjust the springto any determined pressure of gas in the pipe-that is to say, supposethe pressure in the pipe, at which it is desired that the light shouldbe extinguished, is represented or indicated on the gage by threeinches. The gas is allowed to pass into the compartment behind thediaphragm, and the screw o is turned in, so that at that pressure thespring will prevent the gas from pressing the diaphragm and valve outsuiiciently for the two shoulders s and e .to catch one upon the otherwhen the weight is lifted-iu other Words, just so that they will notcatch.

Then every time the weight is lifted it will fall again and close thevalve, as there is nothing to hohl it up; but if the pressure of the gasin the pipes is increased to, say, three and a half or four inches, asindicated on the gage, the outward pressure of the gas behind thediaphragm will overcome the spring and hold the two shoulders s and fvin contact when the weight is lifted.

As long as this pressure of gas in the pipes is maintained the gas willcontinue to burn at the burner; but it' the pressure is again diminishedto three inches the spring will push the valve stein in just enough todisengage the shoulders s and u, and the Weight will drop and entirelyclose the valve; and as long as the weight remains in the position shownin dotted lines in Fig. I the valve will be held closed, the light beingextinguished by the dropping of the weight and consequent closing ot'the valve.

The .valve-seat c may be annular, and somewhat sharp in itscross-section, so that the valve may fit it perfectly and make it tight.

The particular form ofthe parts is, of course, immaterial, so long asthe operation remains the same. For example: Instead of making thepivoted end of the weight D rounded and the pivot t nearer one edge thanthe other, it would operate precisely the same if the pivot were placedin the middle and a short projection were made on the lower edge nearthe end, which would strike the lever or valvestein, and force in thevalve to close it.

If the lever H was not used, and the valvestem was elongated, as shownin Fig. VIII, the device would be just as operative to eX- tinguish thelight at a given pressure, because at that pressure, if the weight wereraised, the pressure of the gas would not force the diaphragm andvalve-stem suticiently far in front to permit the end of the valve-stemto catch upon the shoulder v of the weight, and the latter would drop,forcing in the valve and closing it; but if the pressure was increasedthe diaphragm and valve-stem would be forced in front, to permit thevalve-stem to catch upon the shoulder u, and the weight would be held upuntil the pressure was reduced again, when the spring would force thevalve-stem off the shoulder, andthe Weight would fall and close thevalve, as before.

It is well known that a sticky residuum or tar is formed in gas pipes,and the only reason for using-the lever H, instead of elongating thevalvestem, as shown in Fig. VIII, is to give a positive power to pullthe valve away from its seat c, if it should stick in opening,

by raising the weight against the upper end of the lever and forcing outthe lower end, to

which the valve-stem is attached. I prefer, therefore, to use the lever,in practice, as a means of opening the valve, but do not consider itessential, in closing the valve, to ex tinguish the light.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. The diaphragma, arranged within a chamber to form two compartments therein, inconnection with a valve-stem and valve to close the escapeorice c, theadjustable spring f, and the weight D, substantially as and for thepurpose herein described.

2. The combination of the diaphragm a, ar ranged to form twocompartments within a WILLIAM H. HOVEY. Witnesses:

T. A. CURTIS, C. E. BUCKLAND.

